Garment



p 1935- F. c. RICKERT GARMENT Filed Jan. 19, 1935 HHHHHIIHHIHIIIIIIIHHIIIIII WWW INVENTOR TTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 24, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GARMENT Application January 19, 1935, Serial No. 2,547

2 Claims.

, commonly called a union suit.

ferred form of the invention this flap is buttonless for the sake of economy and simplicity in manufacture and to eliminate the possibility of buttons and button holes becoming damaged during laundering or wear.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a union suit having a posterior section which not only may be readily drawn downwardly but is automatically returned to its normal position when released.

A further distinctive feature of the invention is that the garment is provided with garter-attaching members novelly associated with the posterior section. The garment is formed of such yieldable material as to more or less cling to the body of the wearer and the posterior section is provided with an elastic member arranged to prevent distortion of the garment and at the same time permit ready movement thereof.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent after a reading of the following description which is taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a rear view of the garment embodying the features of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a front View of the undergarment shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail View of certain features of the garment of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the features shown in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view showing how the parts shown in Fig. 3 are attached to the garment.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the garment of. this invention preferably consists of a front portion 2, a back section 4, and a posterior flap 6. The front and back portions 2 and 4 are secured together at marginal edges to form what may be called a garment body.

As shown, the front portion 2 is of such length as to extend the whole length of the garment while the back portion is relatively shorter and extends only from the top of the garment to a point h spaced from the bottom thereof as indicated by the dashline in Fig. 1.

The front section 2 may or may not be provided with buttons 3, as may be desired. It preferably consists of one piece of material, however, as does the back section 4. In the form of the invention 10 shown, arm portions 5 are provided at opposite sides 'of the upper part of the garment body.

The posterior section 8 is also of less length than the front section and this is secured at side edges to the lower part of the section 2. The 15 posterior flap is arranged to more or less overlap the lower part of the back portion 4 substantially as shown so that the back has a part inside the posterior section 6.

Both the posterior section 6 and front section 26" The posterior section 6 is preferably formed to have more or less fullness in the seat thereof for the sake of convenience and comfort. It will be seen in Fig. 1 that with the sections 2, 4, and 6 secured as above described, the lower part of the garment is of three thicknesses with the lower 30 portion of the section 4 between the posterior section 6 and the front portion 2.

A strap member 8 is provided and this is associated with the posterior section in a manner about to be described. The member consists of a strip of elastic material, such as elastic webbing 9, and garter-attaching members 10 at opposite ends thereof.

The webbing 9 is of such length as to extend substantially across the upper marginal edge of the posterior section 6 and the garter-attaching members I 0 are secured to its opposite ends as by stitching S or the like as shown in Fig. 3. The garter members H3 are preferably formed of some textile material and arev in the form of closed loops as shown. Thus a loop I 0 and the webbing 9, when attached to one another, preferably comprise three thicknesses of material as shown in Fig. 4.

The strap member 8 is then attached to the 50 garment. This may be done by stitching as at S the webbing 9 to the upper marginal edge portion of the posterior section 6 and the opposite end portions of the strap are secured to the body of the garment.

According to the preferred form of the invention the portions ID are folded down upon themselves as shown in Figs. 3 and 5 and secured in this position as by stitching S or the like. This provides a relatively reinforced means for attachment of the strap to the garment and at the same time provides substantially strong means for attaching garters to the garment.

It is desired to point out that the loop portions 10 may be folded and stitched as described before the strap is attached to the body or the stitching of the member ID to itself and to the body may be done at the same time. That is to say, the strap member 8 may first be formed as it is shown in Fig. 5 and then attached to the body or it may be attached to the body as it is shown in Fig. 3 and then folded and stitched.

According to the preferred form of the invention, the webbing material 9 is not itself secured directly to the body so that pulling on the webbing will not cause any undue strain on the garment itself It will be noted, however, that the portions ID of the strap are so arranged that the garment is substantially reinforced at the points where there is greatest tension when the seat portion 6 is drawn downwardly under tension.

The strap is of such a nature that it gives surficiently to allow ready movement of the parts of the garment and at the same time when tension on the section 6 is released it will immediately cause the posterior flap to assume its normal position substantially as shown in Fig. 1.

Another distinctive feature of the invention is that there are no easily-broken buttons or readily-damaged buttonholes on the back part of the garment. The strap 8 is strong and permanently secured to the garment and adapted to withstand severe strains and abuse.

While I have described the invention in great detail and with respect to a preferred form thereof, it is not desired to be limited thereto since many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An undergarment of the class described comprising in combination, a front section of a ceras to extend transversely of said garment body, 10

and garter-attaching members secured to the opposite ends of said stretchable member to serve as extensions thereof, said garter-attaching members being in the form of loops of relatively non-stretchable material secured to said garment 15 body and turned downwardly upon and secured to themselves.

2. An undergarment of the class described comprising in combination, a front section of a certain length, a back section of less length than said 20 front section secured to the opposite sides of the upper part of said front section to form a garment body, a posterior flap portion of less length than said front section secured to the opposite sides of the lower part of said garment body and having an upper free part overlapping the lower part of said back section, said back section being formed of a single piece of material, garter-attaching members secured to opposite sides of said garment body in the form of closed loops turned downwardly upon and secured to themselves, each of said loops being formed of a single strip of relatively non-stretchable material folded in termediate its opposite ends with its opposite end portions secured to one another, and a stretchable member extending transversely of the rear of said garment body consisting of a strip of elastic webbing secured directly to the upper marginal edge portion of said posterior flap, the opposite end portions of said strip of webbing being 40 secured to said garter-attaching members by means of stitching which extends through the said end portions of the strips of non-stretchable material and through the webbing whereby a reinforced connection between said strip of web- 45 bing and said garment body is provided to relieve strain on said body caused by tension on said posterior flap.

FRED C. RICKERT 

